592 



NA TURE 



[October 28, 1922 



on bars of mild steel broken by pulling show that 

 this view is not exact. Details of the various tests 

 to which the bars were submitted are given. — P. 

 Chevenard : Nickel alloys retaining their rigidity 

 over an extended temperature range. The alloy in 

 the form of wire was heated to a constant temperature 

 and loaded with a weight : an automatic arrange- 

 ment recorded photographically the elongation as a 

 function of the time. Curves are given for nickel, 

 electrolytic iron, and lor four alloys. A nickel- 

 chromium-tungsten alloy was the most resistant to 

 high temperatures. — L. J. Simon : The direct oxida- 

 tion by oxygen or air of the esters of the alcohol acids. 

 Methyl, ethyl, butyl, and amyl lactates when heated 

 in a current of air undergo oxidation, giving the 

 pyruvates in notable proportion. Ethyl glyoxylate 

 can similarly be recognised as one of the products 

 of oxidation by air of ethyl glycollate. — E. Fournier : 

 The nature aiid structure of the substratum of the 

 Jura chain. An account of the strata pierced by an 

 experimental boring at Chazelot (near Rougemont) 

 carried to a depth of 700 metres. — L. Eble : Magnetic 

 measurements in the Paris basin. The results given 

 for 41 stations form part of a new magnetic survey 

 of France. The secular variation of the magnetic 

 elements between fanuary r, iSgb, and January 1, 

 1922, was practically the same for all the stations ; 

 the mean values were : declination - 2 58', inclination 

 horizontal component +0-0014. These are 

 almost exactly the values obtained at the central 

 station of Val-Joyeux. — Marcel Mirande : The in- 

 fluence of light on the formation of anthocyanine 

 in the scales of the bulbs of lilies. It has been shi iwn 

 experimentally that the only radiations taking an 

 active part in the reddening of the scales are those 

 in the luminous part of the spectrum : there is a 

 first maximum effect in the red, a much more im- 

 portant maximum in the indigo blue, and a minimum 

 in the green. — L. Berger : The existence of an ovarian 

 gland, homologous with the testicular interstitial 

 gland. — L. Carrere : The dilator of the pupil in the 

 selai ians. — Paul Wintrebert : The cartilaginous ptery- 

 goid in the urodeles. 



Royal Society of New South Wales, September 6. — 

 Mr. C. A. Sussmilch, president, in the chair. — R. H. 

 Cambage : Acacia seedlings, Pt. VIII. A number 

 of seedlings of different species were described. A 

 seed of Acacia melanoxylon germinated after having 

 been continuously immersed in sea water for five 

 vears. The phyllodes of various species of Acacia, 

 such as .-1. conferta, A. elongata, A. floribunda, and 

 A. longifolia, dose up towards the stem at night. — 

 M. B. Welch : Relationship between oil glands 

 and oil yields in the Eucalyptus. Measurements 

 made of the oil glands in the leaves of different 

 Eucalypts show that the oil yield on distillation is 

 not absolutely dependent on the number and size 

 of the oil glands. — S. Dodd : Poisoning of sheep by 

 Solatium cinereum. Feeding experiments proved the 

 berries to be very poisonous. The active principle 

 is probably solanin. Half a pound of dried ripe 

 berries given whole were innocuous, but the same 

 amount mashed with water caused death to sheep 

 in six hours. The probable reason for this is that 

 when dry and whole they passed into the rumen, 

 where they became mixed with other food ; at the 

 end of each rumination the total amount of fruits 

 re-swallowed was insufficient to produce poisoning. 

 In the other case the soluble alkaloid passed direct 

 into the digestive stomach, etc., and the amount 

 absorbed, being lethal, death resulted. 



Diary of Societies. 



MONDAY, OCTOBEE 30. 



Royal College of Surgeons of England, at 5.— Prof. Shattock : 



Specimens of Foreign Bodies. 

 Loyal Photographii Society of Great Britain, at 7. — W. B. 



Appleton • Past and Present Methods of making Photographic 



I. rii , . 



TUESDAY, October 31. 

 Royal Horticultural society, at 3. — C. T. Musgrave : Methods of 



Propagation in an Amateur's Garden. 



WEDNESDAY, November 1. 



S01 [ET3 "i l'i inn Analysts and Other Analytical I n 

 1 hemical Society), at s. — C. Ainsworth .Mitchell: The Colorimetric 

 l.-timati.in ,,1 Pvrogallol, Gallotunnin. ami Gallir Acid.— Dr. H. E. 

 Annett and M. X. Hose: The Estimation oi Narcotine and Papa- 

 verine in Opium. — J. R. Nicholls : The Estimation of M' n pliim- 

 I;. I,. .Morris : Further Notes on the Estimation of Potassium ; by 

 Perehlorate ami Cobaltinitrite Methods. 



THURSDAY, November 2. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — Probable Papers. -Lord Rayleigh : Polarisa- 

 tion of flu- Light scattered by Mereurv Vapour near- (lie Uesciname 

 Periodicity.— Prof. G. P. Thomson: The Scattering of llvdawai 



Po,iti\e l!a\s anil the Exist cue, .if a powerful Field of Force in the 

 Hydro--. 11 M..L ui. u. [i. smvth : \ new Method tor studying 

 tonising P tential I P.nekhui-t : Variation of the lntensit\ ..1 

 reflected X-radiation with the Temperature oi the Crj tal 



Datta : The Absorption Spectrum of Potassium Va| r. K I: 



Kaliianathan : The Molecular Scattering of Eight in Va| rs ami 



mil its Relation to the Opalescence observed iff the 



I, ism. in Society 

 Royal COL] i 0] 1 



symptom, it, P 

 llo', IX llBiW 1 



Major A. a. Ec 

 with Aeroplane 



Child-Stud^ Soi 

 Ballard : A Dei 



Institi 



at 5. 



' Physicians, at 5. — Sir Maurice Craig: Mental 

 ysical Disease (Bradshaw Lecture), 

 oal Society (at Royal Sooietj ol Vrts), at 5 30. 

 v: A Review of Airscrew and Helicopter Theory, 

 Analogies. 



ty (at Loyal Sanitary Institute), at 6. — Dr. P. 13. 

 ace of Mental Tests. 



trical Engineers, at 6.— IP. Gill : Inaugural 



of El 

 Presidential A. I. It 



cm ui. vi -o. imy. at 8— N. V. Sidgwick and \V. M. Dash Chi 

 Solubilitj ami \ olatility of the Nitrol.cnzalilehyilcs.— It. IE Pickard, 

 .1. Kenyon. and 11. Hunter: Investigations on the Dependence of 

 H ota ton Pow.r cm ( ■hemical Constitution. Part XII I The Spatial 

 Coniigiii item oi the rnbranched Aliphatic chain. — J. Kenyon and 

 l: \ M'Nicol : Investigations on the Dependence of Rotatory Power 

 on Chemical Constitution. Part XIV. The Normal Aliphatic Ethers 

 of '/-/3-octanol. — H. Phillips: Investigations of the Dependence o 

 Rotatory Power on i hemical Constitution. Part XV. The- Norma! 

 Aliphatic Ethers of (/-methyll'enzylcarbiiiol.— H. Phillips: Invests 

 tions on the Dependence oi Potatori powcroiichetnieal Constitution. 

 Part XVI. v nev typ ot Walden inversion.— L, Hall: Investiga- 

 tions on the Dependence ot Kotat .rv Power on i hemical Constitution 

 Part XVII. '(lie ,li-l: :-oet\l IM.-rsof the Vcids ot the Genera 

 Formula d If .!„(( 'OOII).. — F. L. Pynian : Orientation of the 1 :4 

 ami I : a-dimethylglyoxalines. Modi- of Fission of 5-aminoglyox- 

 aline L. Eight and F. L. Pyrnan : Bromo-derivatives of 2- 

 methylglyoxaline. 



Institi thin OF British Focndrymen (at Institute of Marini En- 

 gineers), at 8. — F. A. Melmoth: Notes on the Development of the 

 Manufacl mi- ol st.c-el Castings. 



FRIDAY, November 3. ! 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at o.--sir Frank Baines : 



Repairs to the Pool ot Westminster Hall. 



Junior Institution of Engineers, at 7.30. — T. H. Sanders : Lami- 

 nated Springs. 



PUBLIC LECTURES. 



SATURDAY, October 28. 



- F. Balfour-Urowuc : 



MONDAY, October 30. 

 City op London Y.M.C.A. (186 Aldersgate Street), at 6.— Sir William 

 M. Bayliss : The Unity of the Human Body. 



WEDNESDAY, November 1. 

 I x i \ i . i:- 1 1 n COLLEGE, at 5.30. — Dr. P. Harting : Holland, tie- Land 

 and its People. -S. Jones: Some Recent Results in Experimental 

 Phonetics, 



TH URSDA Y, November 2. 

 Finsbury Technical College, at 4. — Prof. C. H. Desch: The 



Metallurgical Chemist (Streatfeild Memorial Lecture). 

 ■University College tin Physics Lecture Theatre), tit. 5.30. — Prof. 



I-;. I. Color: Kecent Photo-Elasticity Researches in Engineering 

 Problems, 

 City of London Y.M.C.A. (180 Aldersgate Street), at 0. — Prof. 

 II. Maxwell-Lefroy : How- Insect Pests are tackled. 



FRIDAY, November :;. 

 Bedford College for Women, at 5.30. — Miss ('. A. .1. skeel : Ancient 



Iravel 

 University College, at s. — Prof. G. Dawes Hicks: Tin- Philosophy 

 of Religion. Succeeding Lectures on November 10, 17,24, December 

 1 and 8. 



SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4. 

 Horniman Museum (Forest Hill), at 3.30.— E. Lovett: The Folk- 

 lore Of the- < at 



NO. 2/65, VOL. I IO] 



